Senior Solution Challenge Winners

To help celebrate the 2013 FIRST LEGO League (FLL) World Festival in St Louis, Mo., USA this past April, this last NXTLOG challenge theme was SENIOR SOLUTIONS! The challenge was to develop a MINDSTORMS NXT robot that can be used to improve the quality of life for senior citizens by helping them continue to be independent, engaged, and connected in their communities. Many FLL teams entered and we hope that some of these robotic prototypes will become a living reality to help make our lives better in the near future! See the winners and honorable mentions below and don't forget to check out all the robots submitted to this challenge by searching the tag: "seniorsolutions."

Here are the winners:

RESEARCH :
This award goes to the robot project that shows the best understanding of the problem being faced by seniors and communicates clearly how the robot solution helps with the problem.Velocity Landrone 2.0.1Created by:JStendel
The concept for this NXT wheelchair was inspired by an article from a mom who wants her son to be able to be as independent as possible, especially in school. Being able to move himself around with a mechanical wheelchair that knew where to go and responded to voice commands would be a major part of that. Such a wheelchair that could find its way around is called a SMART Wheelchair, and these can be quite costly. JStendel created a MINDSTORMS NXT solution at a fraction of the price and one that can be a Senior Solution as well. This project is beautifully documented so please visit the Velocity Landrone 2.0.1 NXTLOG. Congrats JStendel on the win!

INNOVATIVE SOLUTION:
This award goes to the robot project that most creatively solves the problem.Smart CaneCreated by: AREM2326
This project is modeled after a typical cane, but this cane not only provides a walking support for seniors but it also serves as a grabber arm and obstacle detector. The ultrasonic sensor allows elderly people who can't see well anymore to estimate the distance of an object. The NXT brick plays a low tone when it detects an object. The tone gets higher each time the object gets 50cm closer. For a new fashioned twist to an old fashioned tool for seniors, we give AREM2326 the Innovative Solution Award!

PRESENTATION:
This award goes to the project that is presented in the most in-depth, clear, and creative way.Senior helper pcCreated by: rikipersello
The Senior Helper PC is a three in one utility tool for seniors. It serves as an object dectector that vibrates when a senior comes in too close contact with an object, as a light for finding their way, and
as an alarm for safety! rikipersello shows all of the robot's functions clearly on the project NXTLOG. Check it out and congratulate rikipersello for this first NXTLOG project!

HONORABLE MENTION(S)
Many robots submitted to this building challenge were not considered for awards becuase they were missing .rbt program files. Please don't forget to read the rules and award criteria!